The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Nemesia plant grown as an ornamental for use in borders, hanging basket or flower bed. The new variety is known botanically as Nemesia×hybrida and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘FLEURCEL’.
The new Nemesia cultivar named ‘FLEURCEL’ resulted from a formal breeding program that was conducted by the inventor at the inventor's nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom. The purpose of the breeding program was to produce new varieties of Nemesia that exhibited improved flower size, new flower color, and compact habit. Three other varieties that have resulted from this breeding program are:
‘FLEURIPI’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,851).
‘FLEURFLAME’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,035).
‘FLEURBAC’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,931).
The new Nemesia variety named ‘FLEURCEL’ is a selection arising from controlled cross-pollination that began in 1998 and proceeded as follows.
(All of the seedling plants referenced herein by number are unreleased, unpatented selections retained by the inventor from previous generations).
Nemesia seedling 111 was crossed with Nemesia seedling 110 to produce Nemesia seedling 152.
Nemesia seedling 110 was crossed with Nemesia seedling 145 to produce Nemesia seedling 168.
Nemesia seedling 152 was then crossed with Nemesia seedling 168 and produced ‘FLEURCEL’. The seed parent is Nemesia seedling 152 (unpatented) and the pollen parent is Nemesia seedling 168 (unpatented). Cross-pollination of the parents took place in West Sussex, United Kingdom in 2002. ‘FLEURCEL’ is one of the seedlings that was selected from this cross. The distinguishing characteristics that make ‘FLEURCEL’ unique from all other Nemesia known to the inventor are compact upright habit, large flower size, and cerise-red flowers.
‘FLEURCEL’ is distinguishable from the female parent by flower color and disease resistance. Seedling 152 exhibits large dark-blue flowers, and is prone to disease, whereas ‘FLEURCEL’ exhibits cerise-red flowers and is not susceptible to the diseases that affects seedling 152. ‘FLEURCEL’ is distinguishable from the male parent by plant habit, and flower color. Seedling 168 exhibits compact habit, and mauve flowers, each with a large yellow eye, compared to ‘FLEURCEL’, which exhibits compact upright habit and cerise-red flowers each with a small yellow eye.
The two closest comparison plants known to the inventor are Nemesia ‘FLEURAME’ (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/095,139, filed Mar. 30, 2005), and Nemesia ‘FLEURBAC’ (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/138,003, filed May 27, 2005).
‘FLEURCEL’ is distinguishable from ‘FLEURAME’ by plant height and flower color. ‘FLEURCEL’ is distinguishable from ‘FLEURBAC’ by plant height and flower color. ‘FLEURBAC’ exhibits bi-colored flowers, and both ‘FLEURAME’ and ‘FLEURAME’ are short in height compared to ‘FLEURCEL’.
‘FLEURCEL’ was first asexually propagated in 2002 at the inventor's nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom. The asexual propagation was conducted by the inventor and the method utilized was softwood cuttings. The inventor has determined that ‘FLEURCEL’ is stable and uniform, and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.